Slowbro Pitch Black Card vs the Japanese Abyss Eye Pokemon Print

Slowbro in Pitch Black and Abyss Eye, Number by Number

Bulbapedia’s Pitch Black set page says the set “includes cards released in the Japanese Abyss Eye expansion” (as of September 30, 2026). Its Slowbro card page, as of October 1, 2026, connects the English Slowbro prints to the Japanese ones in the rows that follow, and Limitless TCG lists Abyss Eye #29 and #87 as the Japanese prints on both the PBL 30 and PBL 90 pages.

The credit on the Uncommon pair reads CHORISO on both sides, which is the strongest match signal available: the same illustrator credit. On the Art Rare pair the credit is one name in two spellings, depending on the source. The official database prints “M_kayu” on 087/081; Limitless and Bulbapedia print “Mékayu” on PBL 90 and on the Japanese card. Each source is quoted as it prints it. No source states that the English and Japanese artwork is identical.

Bulbapedia prints the English numbers with a /084 denominator (030/084 and 090/084); Limitless prints no denominator, and the official English page states the set size only as “Over 115”.

The Three English Slowbro Prints

Limitless TCG lists three English Slowbro cards that connect to the Japanese ヤドラン. Each page, as of October 1, 2026, prints the same card values: Slowbro, Psychic, 130 HP, Stage 1 evolving from Slowpoke, weakness Darkness, resistance Fighting, retreat cost 3, and regulation mark J (per Limitless).

Limitless names both Abyss Eye numbers on all three pages. The illustrator column is the useful separator: CHORISO on PBL 30, Mékayu on PBL 90 and Yuriko Akase on the promo. Bulbapedia’s labels for the same prints are Uncommon, Illustration Rare and no rarity; Limitless’s “Art Rare” and Bulbapedia’s “Illustration Rare” are each source’s own naming for the Full Art print.

Pitch Black released worldwide on July 17, 2026 according to Bulbapedia and the official English product page, which prints “Over 115” cards and a Standard-legal deck. Limitless counts 120 cards in the set: 84 main-set cards (numbers 1 to 84), 11 Art Rares (85 to 95), 18 Ultra Rares, 6 Special Art Rares and 1 Secret Rare. The Slowbro Art Rare, PBL 90, falls inside the Art Rare block.

Mega Slowbro ex PBL 31 Is a Different Card

Mega Slowbro ex (PBL 31, Double Rare on Limitless and Bulbapedia) shares the Pitch Black set with the Slowbro cards but is not an Abyss Eye card. The official database lists メガヤドランex under M-P 071/M-P, with no rarity icon, credited to 5ban Graphics, Stage 1, HP 330, Psychic type, weakness Darkness ×2, resistance Fighting −30 and retreat cost three.

Its attack is シェルネードスピン (three Psychic energy, 180 damage): during the opponent’s next turn, if this Pokémon takes damage from an attack, 12 damage counters go on the Pokémon that used it. The card’s rule text says the opponent takes three Prize cards when a Mega Evolution ex is knocked out. Limitless lists the Japanese print as Mega Promotional Cards #71 and no other Japanese print.

Bulbapedia (as of October 1, 2026) calls the Japanese print one of seven M-P Promotional cards in Pokémon Card Gym Promo Card Packs 3, distributed at Pokémon Card Gym venues from February 1, 2026, and notes that it carries the Pokémon Card Gym logo. It pairs the card with Pitch Black 031/084, a Double Rare.

Every Japanese Slowbro Print in the Official Database

The official database, as of October 1, 2026, holds 14 rows named ヤドラン. Only the two M5 rows match the Pitch Black cards; the others are older prints of the same Pokémon with different card text. Rows with “no icon” show no rarity icon in the database.

Two older prints share the Psychic type with the Abyss Eye cards: the SV2a 080/165 U (OKACHEKE, 130 HP) and the SM2K 024/050 U (Shibuzoh., 110 HP). The SV2a card is a different card from the Abyss Eye Slowbro despite the shared 130 HP; its Master Ball Mirror version is offered as a PSA 10 back order at ¥13,158 (~$85).

Several other cards contain the same name string and are different cards: M ヤドランEX, ヤドランEX, ガラル ヤドラン, ガラル ヤドランV, ヤドランソウルリンク and メガヤドランex. Our Slowpoke and Slowbro Pokemon Card Guide covers the Japanese printings across eras.

How to Tell the English and Japanese Slowbro Apart

Five checks separate the prints when a card is in hand or in a photo.

1. Language and name. The Japanese cards read ヤドラン; the English cards read Slowbro.
2. Number. The Japanese cards are numbered /081 (029/081 and 087/081). Bulbapedia prints the English numbers as /084, and Limitless lists them as #30 and #90.
3. Illustrator line. CHORISO appears on both Uncommon prints, Mékayu (or “M_kayu” in the Japanese database) on both Art Rares, and Yuriko Akase on the promo only.
4. Rarity. A full-art Slowbro is the Art Rare; the regular print is the Uncommon. The promo carries no rarity label on Limitless.
5. Set or promo mark. The Japanese cards are Abyss Eye (M5); the English cards are Pitch Black (PBL) or Mega Promos (MEP). Mega Slowbro ex PBL 31 has 330 HP and is a separate card.

HP, type, weakness, resistance and retreat cost are identical between the English pages on Limitless and the Japanese database rows, so those fields do not separate the prints. The guide to reading Japanese Pokemon cards and the Japanese vs English Pokemon cards comparison cover the general differences.